Event: United Kingdom

Chillingham Wild Cattle

When:	Daily; not Tue
Where:	Chillingham Park
Costs:	£4.50; concessions £3; children £1.50 Family ticket (2 adults & 2 children) £10
Opening Hours:	Wed-Mon 10am-12pm & 2pm-5pm; Sun 2pm-5pm

The world's only pure-blood wild cattle, the striking Chillingham herd are a last link to ancient Britain. When Chillingham Park was enclosed in 1270AD the wild cattle were virtually cut off from human interference, and for over 700 years the herd - now standing at 56 - have been unadulterated and undiluted by other breeds. Given that there are fewer Chillingham wild cattle than giant pandas in the world, there is something very special in visiting their private habitat.

Chillingham wild cattle are unique in not being domesticated. Technically they are feral (wild) and have survived in the historical record for hundreds of years without husbandry. In 1939 the Chillingham Wild Cattle Association was formed and took on the job of caring for the herd. In 1980, on the death of the ninth Earl of Tankerville, the park was saved by its purchase by the Sir James Knott Charitable Trust, and it has recently been purchased by the Chillingham Wild Cattle Association for the further security of the herd's future.

After the potential threat of foot-and-mouth disease during the 1967 outbreak, a small reserve herd was established in Scotland, and in 2004 the status of the herd was numbered at 56 - a healthy comparison to the mere 13 left after the freezing winter of 1947, although not as large as the 80 reported in 1838 (the largest numbers since records began in 1692.

The herd is headed by King Bull, who reigns until another bull is strong enough to defeat him. Usually there is a new King Bull about every three years, thus meaning that son cannot topple father, ensuring the heterozygosity of the herd's gene pool.

While the herd, because it is wild, is not included in the White Park Cattle Herdbook, it is an extraordinary evolutionary miracle in the modern world. Entry to the park is only allowed accompanied by a warden: the cattle are wild - walk down wind of a bull and he will charge!